Jo Earl reflects on Connect <> Lockleaze to date

Jo Earl (Student Services - UWE) has been associated with Connect <> Lockleaze from the very beginning. Here she reflects on the success of the intiative to date...

From UWE’s current community outreach projects we were aware that the most basic IT tutoring and support is much sought after, particularly amongst older people. Getting people engaged in a new community initiative can be hard, so we started by trying to meet a clearly identified need. We took a dual approach: UWE student volunteers were recruited to lead both a semi-structured course in basic IT skills offering one to one help for 6 weeks, and the more informal Community IT Hub drop in service, where people can just turn up and give it a go. Through these student-run activities, we started supporting the tentatively interested as well as those who had a little more determination to get digitally updated. The focus is always on person centred support: tailored help is crucial for beginners, those with a lack of confidence or negative past learning experiences.

The basic IT skills sessions are helping local people to tackle their IT fears and get specific help with what is useful to them. This could be anything from polishing up on Microsoft Office skills for the workplace to web browsing around personal interests. or making the most of email and social media to keep in touch with friends and family. 

Bogdan, a UWE student studying for a foundation degree in Science, volunteers each week as a tutor. 

He finds both challenges and rewards in this role: “I wanted to give something back and it is very rewarding to see others happy. I always feel that I have made a difference in their life. Tutoring involves loads of patience and definitely empathy.”

Meanwhile, at our Community IT Hub drop in, residents have been stopping by to get help with everyday things like email, using a printer and designing flyers. 

Elaine has become a regular, and has found the informal support and space to practice useful after going on an IT course. “I love the lessons on Fridays, and feel so lucky that I am able to attend, and to have wonderful tutors, plus really good equipment all for free.” 

Justin, a BSc Psychology student from UWE helps out each week: “I chose this role to give something back to the local community and to help those that may not have the opportunity to use what I have taken for granted for most of my life. It is not just learning about IT but also a social experiences.” Justin has helped Robert, a job-seeker, who needed some support using the internet to search and apply for jobs. “I’ve never used a computer before as I have always done manual work, but now I need to find a new job, everything is online and I don’t know how to access it”. 

To date, 25 student volunteers have been involved with direct delivery of tutoring and have worked to maintain and update the PCs and laptops.

In addition to UWE-led activities, the new IT facilities in the community venues have also provided an impetus to develop more learning and training opportunities in the area, both IT and non-IT related courses and workshops. One of the community partners involved has recruited and trained volunteers to run ‘Get IT Together’ classes for older people to get a taste of computers and the internet. 

External training providers have booked the facilities to run both IT and non-IT related sessions, among them ICT for Community Engagement, Digital Photography, Manage Your Money and Stress Management. Amy attended a confidence building workshop and was impressed with the session and the facilities: “The venue is good, well equipped and easy to get to. I would like to do more courses here."

Taster days are a great way to hook people in, and there have been a number of one day workshops and events to encourage people to have a go...

Through collaboration with a Bristol museum, local residents uploaded their images of their neighbourhood to a website and participated in developing their very own ‘Greetings from Lockleaze’ postcards as part of the MShed postcard project. 

With one of our community partners, ‘Boing!’, a local soft-play centre, UWE student volunteers worked with parents and children to design and create 30 t-shirts using desktop publishing and t-shirt transfers.

The PCs and laptops donated by Hewlett Packard (HP) have greatly increased the capacity at the community venues, not only providing the space and technology for a variety of courses, but also creating a place to support community driven initiatives and local volunteers. 

6 local residents have utilised the open access facilities to coordinate their own groups through social networking and creating publicity materials. They include ‘Scrummy Mummies’, an informal and non-subscription weight-loss club and the Honeysuckle Café Breastfeeding Support Group. These two groups alone have benefited over 30 centre users at Boing!

A fringe benefit has been better networking between service providers in the area. The three centres can now offer hot-desks and a wireless network for local practitioners, such as advice workers and NHS staff who are working across North Bristol. This brings with it greater opportunities to share information and good practice and encourage collaboration, all of which in turn benefits local residents.

A key aim of the project is to make the IT Hubs in the community venues self sustaining. This will in part depend on support from local people who can encourage others to have a go. Demand for basic IT skills support way outstrips supply – we will need to be creative with the ways we involve volunteers in order to grow the support we currently offer. Our current volunteer base is mainly students who are only here for part of the year. This leaves gaps in provision, particularly during the summer. We are aiming to involve more staff from both HP and UWE and hope that over time local residents can take on more roles and encourage their friends and neighbours to get involved.